4 minutes ago, SidJames said:

A friend of mine went to a well known hospital in the middle of Pattaya with chest pains.

They ran tests & he was told that he had had a heart attack & needed stents immediately quoting him a price.

He flew straight back to the UK & directly to A&E.

They ran a battery of tests & found no evidence of any heart attack but he did have a chest infection.

That said my child is under the care of a world renown Thai doctor who also worked in John Hopkins & Great Ormond St hospitals.

He mostly teaches now in a university hospital in Bangkok.

He is not too bright.  A second opinion at a good Thai hospital would have saved him a lot of cash. 

7 minutes ago, faraday said:

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/anecdote

 

Q.E.D.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anecdotal_evidence

 

"Anecdotal evidence is evidence from anecdotes, i.e., evidence collected in a casual or informal manner and relying heavily or entirely on personal testimony."

 

Double QED! 555

3 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Thai doctors are not qualified to work in the UK.

If he worked in Gt Ormond Street hospital, it must have been as a cleaner/janitor.

My doctor just returned from a month in the UK - working. 

1 minute ago, marcusarelus said:

He is not too bright.  A second opinion at a good Thai hospital would have saved him a lot of cash. 

And flying  back on a plane when his true condition was not known was a serious risk.

1 minute ago, marcusarelus said:

My doctor just returned from a month in the UK - working. 

Unlikely, he may have been attending a training course or observing a procedure.

But he wouldn't be allowed to treat a patient himself.

 

4 minutes ago, Esso49 said:

And flying  back on a plane when his true condition was not known was a serious risk.

Not as serious a risk as having a stent fitted for a chest infection.

Posts removed,

 

Agree to disagree, but stop the inflammatory digs please.

10 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Unlikely, he may have been attending a training course or observing a procedure.

But he wouldn't be allowed to treat a patient himself.

 

 

5 minutes ago, Spidey said:

Not as serious a risk as having a stent fitted for a chest infection.

The condition was unknown at the time if the story is really true.

2 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

 

Again heavily skewed towards cost rather than quality of care.

 

Edit: Just noticed that Germany is well down the list. You've got to be joking, probably the best healthcare in the world.

 

4 minutes ago, Spidey said:

Again heavily skewed towards cost rather than quality of care.

Thailand moved up 14 places to No. 27, the biggest annual improvement, as per-capita spending declined 40 percent to only $219, while life expectancy advanced to 75.1 years. Medical tourism industry is among Thailand’s fastest-growing industries.

Just now, marcusarelus said:

Thailand moved up 14 places to No. 27, the biggest annual improvement, as per-capita spending declined 40 percent to only $219, while life expectancy advanced to 75.1 years. Medical tourism industry is among Thailand’s fastest-growing industries.

Based on cost not quality of care.

 

2 minutes ago, Spidey said:

Based on cost not quality of care.

 

It is based on providing quality care for a reasonable cost.  That's why medical tourism is big in Thailand and not Scotland. 

23 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Doctors in Thailand run the full gamut from world class experts in their field to thoroughly incompetent or negligent and everything possible in between.

 

And, news flash, this is also true in most countries. The only exceptions being some very undeveloped places that have no world class docs. There is not a country in the world that doesn't have some bad ones.

 

If you are accustomed back home to being treated through a government health care system, care there is probably safeguarded by pretty comprehensive treatment protocols doctors are are require to adhere to.  There is something similiar in Thai government hospitals but in Thai private hospitals there are no standard protocols and doctors -- who are independent contractors, not hospital employees - are free to do as they see fit. If you happen to have a really good and conscientious doctor there can be advantages to this (standard protocols reflect not only medical evidence but also  cost considerations and other institutional factors so will not always be in an individual  patient's best interests) but if not - it is risky.
 

 

You should never, never just show up at a private hospital and see whatever doctor the staff refer you to. Always research first and carefully select a doctor based on qualifications, most private hospitals have websites that facilitate this. You are also welcome to post here asking for doctor suggestions.

 

If you are not willing  or able to do that then you are better off sticking to Thai government hospitals  where at least there are protocols they have to follow -- but be sure to make it at least a provincial level, preferrably tertiary level, hospital and be prepared for long waits, red tape and language barriers.

 

BTW the treatment you received for your testicular pain was indeed not proper and if it is still present you need to see a good urologist.

Excellent reply to a Newbie.  

6 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

Thailand moved up 14 places to No. 27, the biggest annual improvement, as per-capita spending declined 40 percent to only $219, while life expectancy advanced to 75.1 years. Medical tourism industry is among Thailand’s fastest-growing industries.

Thailand's improvement was due to the introduction of universal health cover for its citizens. Nothing to do with its private medical sector.

 

I think this thread has more than run its course and is descending into useless bickering. From its onset, given its broad-brush approach (as if all Thai doctors are the same/interchangeable), it wasn't very useful and it has gone down hill from there.

 

Closed.

 

 

13 minutes ago, Spidey said:

Again heavily skewed towards cost rather than quality of care.

 

Edit: Just noticed that Germany is well down the list. You've got to be joking, probably the best healthcare in the world.

 

No. Switzerland is best. German doctors migrated there.